August 5, 2002

After generations of struggle, the Western Shoshone decide in a divisive election to accept land settlement payments from the federal government in lieu of the tribe's ancestral lands, which one spanned the Great Basin.

Feature

After generations of struggle, the Western Shoshone decide
in a divisive election to accept land settlement payments from the
federal government in lieu of the tribe's ancestral lands, which
one spanned the Great Basin.

The Timbisha Shoshone have won control of 314 acres with
water rights in California's Death Valley National Park, and have
gained shared management responsibilities for another 300,000 acres
in the park, along with 7,400 acres of nearby federal
land.

In "Lone Patriot: The Short Career of an American
Militiaman," Jane Kramer profiles wannabe-Patriot John Pitner, who
was commander in chief of the Washington State Militia until his
group began to unravel and the FBI arrested him.

News

Conservationists say the "Sound Science Planning Act" - a
proposed amendment to the Endangered Species Act - could weaken the
roles of U.S. wildlife agencies in deciding which species receive
federal protection.

In southern Oregon's Klamath Basin, some local farmers are
upset with the Klamath Water Users Association for helping to kill
a Farm Bill amendment that would have made it easier for them to
sell their land to the federal government.

A draft plan by Moffat County, Colo., commissioners to
turn over control of 1.7 million acres of federal land to local
trustees draws the ire of environmentalist Jon Marvel of the
Western Watersheds Project.

The Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition plans to commemorate
the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with a
get-together examining the connections between the explorers,
Native Americans and salmon.